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Nothing was revealed to me that I already did not know. I was 22 when Beat the Dealer was published. And remember the rule changes Vegas first enacted in response to " Beat the Dealer " The new rules forbade players to re-split aces into separate hands, and imposed a new limit restricting the "double-down" bet only to hands totaling 11. After a few weeks on empty tables, they reverted to the original rules, but dealt 4 decks from a shoe. The prior year John Scarne had tried to make it mandatory that all BJ games be dealt from a shoe. To combat cheating.
I know the house edge and I know my bankroll. I also know the HE is still less than 2%. AP's remind me of the horse players back before exotic bets that complained about the 14% take on WPS bets. If only the track would lower the take to 10% and see the handle soar ? Those same punters now face a 23-30% take on exotic bets and bet more on them than WPS. And the AP's who say if only the casino's would stop barring counters, more people would play, and the casino's would make more money.
Hey it's 6/5 $5 BJ and I know no self respecting AP would sit there unless he was drunk or hitting on a hottie in the next seat ! Like I said before, I don't tell you how to spend your money. So PLEASE stop telling me how to spend mine. I know you need more BOB's at the $15 and $25 BJ 3/2 games. So you can WONG in and take advantage of the house and the BOB's.

I certainly did not tell you how to spend your time. I asked how you can possibly spend your time that way after understanding that with some effort you can beat the game or play breakeven.

I can't imagine knowing what I know and still gambling. But hey, suckers keep the lights on, as you say. So thank you.

Thanks again Gabe. However paymypush stated that at Mohegan Sun the timer for making a decision was set for 15 seconds. Could that have changed since the initial installation at the first casino in North America to offer Stadium Blackjack on the Fusion Hybrid ?
davethebuilder stated that during the Australian trial, the timer was set for 15 seconds after the first rebet button was pushed. Seems like a desirable feature.

I think being overlooked by many is the fact that prior to Stadium BJ in Bethlehem Sands no $5 BJ was being offered. $10 on weekdays and $25 minimum on Friday and Saturday night's. And the Venetian had the same limits and 6/5 payoff.
I stole the idea of BOBs from the marketing director of Bethlehem Sands. That casino invested $5,000,000 in renovation and installation of Stadium Blackjack. Ms. McCracken's market target is the 25-35 male, whom she has named "MIKE" I will stay with BOB for baby boomers. MIKE is obviously a millennial.

Thanks again Gabe. However paymypush stated that at Mohegan Sun the timer for making a decision was set for 15 seconds. Could that have changed since the initial installation at the first casino in North America to offer Stadium Blackjack on the Fusion Hybrid ?
davethebuilder stated that during the Australian trial, the timer was set for 15 seconds after the first rebet button was pushed. Seems like a desirable feature.

If this person saw it set as 15 seconds at MS then yes, they could have moved it based on player feedback. It's one of many configurable features. I unfortunately do not travel so constantly any longer that I'm always aware of every setting as it is being used. Those were the days, though.

As to the comment on AUS, the game does not behave in that manner and the statement is incorrect. The dealer always touches a "New Game" button on their console to open betting. Players then have a window of XX seconds- whatever the casino decides. It's a part of the manner in which the software works.

After a round is complete the dealer pushes the "New Game" button on their console but the clock does not start until the first player pushes the green "Rebet" button. Then the clock starts a 15 second countdown. If there are no players then the clock is idle.

Also, I would appreciate an answer to the dealer Ace up issue raised in Post 29.

I did work in a small casino in Blackhawk for 6 months in 1990. The first year casino's were legalized in Colorado. I was security, cage, slot tech, BJ dealer and on weekdays when the girl went home early, I was the world's ugliest barmaid. A guy named Ernie worked at the Gilpin Hotel around the corner. He had some dumb video poker game. Always wondered what happened to him.

After a round is complete the dealer pushes the "New Game" button on their console but the clock does not start until the first player pushes the green "Rebet" button. Then the clock starts a 15 second countdown. If there are no players then the clock is idle.

Also, I would appreciate an answer to the dealer Ace up issue raised in Post 29.

Dave, appreciate the comments. To the betting clock item, what you say isn't the case, and made sure to check with the developers who are out of Sydney NSW to ensure they didn't go another direction locally. They confirmed the dealer's action in touching "New Game" is solely responsible for opening wagering and surmised that maybe there was a misunderstanding involved somewhere. They also jokingly asked if you are a transplanted Kiwi! If you actually see this happening though, I'd welcome a DM and any additional information.

The Ace issue you posted in #29- I have never heard of this before and if you did find this occurring, our Service team would need to examine, ascertain the cause, and fix it immediately. Should you notice it again please do let me know.

Thanks for the reply, Gabe. To resolve this matter the next time I go to the casino I will take detailed notes and PM you my findings. And no, I am not a Kiwi but I have travelled all over NZ(there are six casinos there) and it is a beautiful country that is well worth a visit if you are in this part of the world.

I tried to PM but was unable to send a message so I will copy it here.

I had a chance to go into the Star City Casino in Sydney, Australia tonight to watch the football so I had another look at Stadium BJ and stand by my comments made on the public forum. I then started thinking about possible misunderstandings so I will repeat what I found, which was also verified by a Stadium dealer and the Stadium Manager. I first confirmed the rules and playing conditions of the game which are correct as stated. Then I played the game for one hour and the process is as follows.

A new player takes a seat, loads some money or a voucher into the console to obtain a positive credit balance. Once the dealer completes their existing round they press the "New Game" button on their terminal and this opens the game for betting. A player then activates a betting clock/timer that gives them 15 seconds to make a decision about how much they wish to bet and load the total into the player betting circle from the chip tray. If there are no players the timer does not activate and just spins continually with the words "Bet now" inside the circle. It is the first player who presses the "Rebet" button or the "Player betting circle" that activates the timer. Once the timer is activated then all other players are bound to the 15 second deadline.

Once the dealer has dealt two cards to the player and one to himself the player has 8 seconds to act. If the player does not act then a card is dealt as if the player hit. At every decision point the player has 8 seconds to act. If a player responds prior to 8 seconds and others have not acted then a timer spins continually with "Awaiting other players" printed inside the circle until all players have acted or 8 seconds has elapsed. Once the player has acted the dealer plays out their hand and the bets are resolved.

One possible misunderstanding is that their appears to be 2 timers. One is controlled by the first player who presses the "Rebet" button after the previous round and the other is built into the software and is activated once a hand is in progress. This second timer cannot be controlled by any casino staff or any player.

As for the dealer Ace up issue it happened again tonight. The hand is dealt normally and the insurance decision box works properly but the "Stand" and "Hit" tabs grey out immediately afterwards. The way around this is to thump the console hard several times and usually that is enough to turn the tabs yellow and then red or green depending on the players choice. At first I thought it was a single terminal fault but when it happened on multiple terminals then it appears to be a software or electrical issue. I don't like treating the console in this way and the casino has been made aware of the problem and it has improved from what it was but some issues remain. An additional point is that it happens on most occasions but not all.

Another issue the casino has is problems with the card reading technology located at the end of CSM chute. This requires the Stadium Manager to stand next to the dealer and override the terminal so the games could progress, however, once the CSM was cleaned and the cards renewed the problem seemed to be resolved.

It is also possible that this version of the game has been reconfigured so it satisfies the rules and conditions approved by the NSW Department of Primary Industry(Liquor and Gaming).

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